The Nadi Magistrates Court has issued a suspended sentence to Justin Ho. Last month, Ho admitted guilt to an amended charge regarding false or misleading documents. According to the summary of facts, Ho provided two Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) for two other people to a Senior Customs Officer to facilitate the release of a consignment, fully aware that the information was untrue.
The Court initially sentenced Ho to 18 months in prison, but due to mitigating circumstances and his decision to plead guilty, this time was reduced to nine months. This sentence has been entirely suspended for a period of three years. The Court took into account that Ho is a first-time offender and noted that the Government entity did not suffer any loss, which influenced the decision against imposing a custodial sentence for deterrence purposes.